authors

Major General Spider Marks
(USA, Retired, USMA 1975)

Expertise
Chief Executive, leadership, organizational vision and design, media consultant and communications, public speaking, board director and advisor

Experience
General Marks has over 42 years of leadership experience in both the Army and industry. He commanded Soldiers at every level from 2d Lieutenant to Major General. He served as both an infantryman and intelligence officer in some of the most storied and decorated units in our Army to include the 101st Airborne Division, the 82d Airborne Division, 7th Infantry Division, and 6th Infantry Division. He commanded an Infantry company in the 101st, a battalion in the 7th Infantry Division, and was the Commanding General of the Army Intelligence Center, Ft Huachuca, Arizona. As a staff officer he served as the Aide-de-Camp to the Commander in Chief, Pacific (a four star Admiral), was a battalion executive officer in the 82d Airborne Division, and was a Special Assistant to the Chief of Staff, Army. He served as the Senior Intelligence Officer at the Battalion, Division, Army, and Theater levels which included duty in Los Angeles during the LA Riots, Alaska, Haiti, Bosnia and Kosovo, Korea, Kuwait, and Iraq. Since retiring from the Army, Marks has been a business leader and entrepreneur. He was the CEO of Global Linguist Solutions, a privately held company that provides linguistics services to the U.S. military in Iraq and was the largest employer of native Iraqis and was the CEO, InVisM, a firm that develops training and simulation tools for commercial and government clients. He is the President of the Marks Collaborative, an advisory firm dedicated to the development and transformation of corporate leaders and their organizations. In this role, he has been a consultant in primary research, energy, and national security and was the co- founder of Willowdale Services, LLC, a boutique private advisory firm based in northern Virginia.

General Marks was the Executive Dean (President) College of Security and Criminal Justice, University of Phoenix and is an adjunct professor at Georgetown University. He is an on-air military and national security contributor to CNN, having worked with Fox News, CBS, MSNBC, and BBC. He is a routine keynote speaker at corporate engagements and is the geo-strategic advisor for an investment bank, Academy Securities, a Service Disabled Veteran Owned financial services investment bank. He sits on several boards to include the Call of Duty Endowment that facilitates veterans’ transition and employment. Major General Marks is a Member of the Military Intelligence Hall of Fame.

Scholarly Work/Publications/Awards
General Marks is an author having contributed to and edited a book on leadership in International Relations and published several articles in military publications. He is an Honor Graduate of the US Army’s Ranger School, a Master parachutist authorized to wear Canadian and Korean Airborne wings, and has been awarded the Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, and multiple combat, expeditionary, and service ribbons.

Education
MS, Theater Operations, School of Advanced Military Studies, US Command and General Staff College
MA, International Affairs, University of Virginia
BS, US Military Academy